


Friends and Fireworks Forever

by skittiecat



Category: Rune Factory 4
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 05:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15679347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittiecat/pseuds/skittiecat
Summary: Frey is still mourning after Venti returned to the Forest of Beginnings, but would Venti really want her to miss out on the annual Fireworks Festival? one-shot





	Friends and Fireworks Forever

The sizzling heat of the summer day began to waver once the sun began to set, painting multiple bright hues across the landscape. The annual fireworks show was about to begin, and the entire town of Selphia was buzzing with activity and excitement. Several small vendor stalls had been set up for the event, all putting unique and interesting things on display, further attracting both townsfolk and travelers alike. Several people wore their traditional festival attire which contained every color you could imagine, and then some. Everyone in the town was as blissful and as carefree as could be. Everyone, that is, except for Frey.

It had been months since Ventuswill returned to the Forest of Beginnings. Months and months of an empty feeling, a void, in the townspeople's hearts. Eventually, most of them began to fall back into a sense of normalcy, but not Frey. She went back to where Venti used to stay every day, day after day, and she would sit. She would sit and talk about her day, what the town had been up to, and she would even reminisce about the good memories the two of them had shared together. Usually, each visit ended in tears. Vishnal and Clorica began to worry about her well-being, but neither of them intervened, and decided it was best to let Frey mourn in her own way.

On this particular day, Frey felt a sense of bitterness that everyone could be so carefree, so happy, and enjoy a festival without Venti. She had always been there for everyone, she had always protected everyone, so why did it seem like no one else cared that she was no longer with them? It didn't sit well with her, so she decided to shut herself away in her usual spot, sit down, and talk to Venti instead of viewing the fireworks.

"Hey, Venti. It's the day of the summer festival now. I wish you could be here to see it," Frey said in a melancholy tone.

"Remember how much fun we had last year? We even hosted a pancake-eating contest, especially for you. Heh, you won by a landslide."

Frey hugged her knees to her chest and looked down.

"The fireworks just wouldn't be the same without you... Nothing is."

"Hey, you just gonna sit here and mope all night?"

A sudden voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she lifted her head to see Doug standing there, decked out in his festival attire. Frey got defensive.

"It's none of your business, just leave me alone."

Doug sighed and walked over, sitting himself down next to Frey.

"I miss her too, you know. I know it may not look it right now, but I get how you feel, I really do."

Frey scoffed.

"No one knows how I feel. How else could they all be out there, not a care in the world, just like... Just like nothing even happened?"

Doug sighed.

"Listen. I know you were closer to her than any of us. We all miss her... But she wouldn't want you to shut yourself inside and mope around during fireworks. Don't you remember how much she loved them last year?"

That managed to make Frey crack a smile.

"Yeah, she really did. Remember those green ones that sort of looked like her? Those were her very favorite."

Doug chuckled.

"Yeah, those were the biggest ones! They were so loud, they even made Dylas jump. That was hilarious, I'd kill to see that again."

"And I'm sure he'd kill to see you set your hair on fire again," Frey teased.

"H-hey!! That was _completely_ on accident! His stupid comments just distracted me enough to where I got my head too close to some of the sparklers, it _totally_ was _not_ my fault," Doug huffed.

"You should go out there then, you don't have to sit in here with me."

Doug thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Hmmm... Nah, I don't think so. If you're gonna sit here all night and miss the fireworks, then I'm gonna stay too. Venti wouldn't want anyone to be all alone during a festival."

"I know that, but..."

"Listen, Frey. Everyone is worried about you. I know you've gotta handle things your own way, and you need time.. But can you at least come enjoy some fireworks with everyone? We'd all love to have you, and you _know_ Venti would want you to come."

Frey sighed.

"I know... But I don't think I'll be able to enjoy anything without her. Especially something she enjoyed so much."

Doug stood up and offered his hand.

"You'll never know if you don't try, right? Come on, what do you say?"

Frey hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided that Doug was right, and she’d give it a chance. She took his hand and stood up.

 

-

 

The festival was even more spectacular than the one from year before. There were far more vendors than last year, and they all seemed to be selling things from every corner of the world. Frey had changed into her festival attire before joining the crowd, and she even managed to find an intricate festival mask that matched it perfectly. She was lucky Doug had come to talk when he did; the big fireworks show had not yet started, so Frey had plenty of time to enjoy the vendors and some of the smaller fireworks with her friends while they all waited.

Amber ran up to Frey and gave her the biggest hug in the world. Margaret and Forte welcomed her with smiles and open arms, and Dolce was equally happy to see her, offering a smile her way. Clorica was too sleepy to do anything other than wave, but it was the thought that counted. Xiao Pai was eager to have Frey join in on the fun, and began raving about all the different foods she had already tried that night. Doug and Dylas were already back to their normal bickering, so nothing had changed there. Leon flashed her a grin and a wink, and Arthur sighed in relief, and welcomed Frey to the festival. Kiel was relieved to see her again as well, and blushed as he complimented her festival attire. Vishnal was moved to tears to see his princess out and about again, spending time with everyone. Doug had been telling the truth-- Everyone had been worried sick about her. Frey wiped away her forming tears and smiled from ear to ear. She was happy to be here too.

Frey enjoyed elegantly dancing around with sparklers, popping poppers and loud firecrackers to try to startle one another, and setting off small, yet mesmerizing, fountains with her friends for a while. Once night truly fell and all the stars were visible in the night sky, the real show began.

A colorful display of sparks and fire erupted in the sky in all sorts of sizes and varieties, each followed by a loud bang. Some were tiny, some were enormous; some were white, and some were multicolored, but all were beautiful in their own special way. After some time had passed, everyone began to brace themselves for the grand finale. Frey had been told that it was carefully planned out this year by all the townspeople, and there was a lot of care put into creating these specific fireworks. She was eager to see what they had in store for her this year.

As the finale started, dramatic, green fireworks began erupting, one after another, in quick succession. Frey's eyes began tearing up as the realization hit her-- they had enhanced the green fireworks from the year before, the ones that she thought had vaguely looked like Venti, and now they all looked just like her! She took her eyes off of the fireworks for just one moment, and looked around at her friends in disbelief. They were all smiling, yet they all had tears on their faces as well. Venti was loved by everyone, and they had all put so much love and effort into honoring her in this fireworks display. They had all been so worried about Frey too, that they not only felt they were honoring Venti, but Frey as well. Frey felt silly for doubting everyone, and decided she would apologize later, but for now, she looked back up into the sky and smiled, as she allowed the tears to freely roll down her cheeks.

_Venti, I hope you're enjoying this._


End file.
